


He's Good For You

by ponfarts



Category: Almost Human, almost human fox
Genre: M/M, Partner Appreciation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-09
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-11 18:46:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1176583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ponfarts/pseuds/ponfarts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John realizes that after having to deal with Danica a second time, he's actually grown to appreciate his partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He's Good For You

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a quick drabble that, after the suggestion of a friend, I decided to write. It follows episode nine: "Unbound". (:

The explosion rattled the walls and shook the ground under John. He lay still, arms covering his head as debris pelted the area around him. He waited for the smoke to settle before he looked up, his chest heaving as he pushed himself from the ground. His body ached as he made his way to what remained of the entrance to the bar. He slowly picked his way around the broken glass, pieces of the destroyed column and other miscellaneous items that got blown about in the fight.

He rounded another column, untouched my Danica and Dorian’s scuffle, and his eyes fell about his partner. He was up and moving, but not unharmed. He had a few blemishes to his face, revealing the purple synthetic flesh beneath. His hand was resting to his chest as he made his way to John.

“You okay?” John glanced over Dorian, eyes lingering on the hole in Dorian’s chest.

He nodded with a sigh. “Yeah, you?”

John gave a half hearted shrug. “Could be better.”

“Better than a human leg." Dorian glanced down to John's leg, and John followed his gaze. "Still anti-synthetic?” Dorian quipped, a small smile touching his face.

John looked down to his leg, giving it a small bend. “It’s growing on me.”

\------

“You really should be more careful, Dorian." There was a metallic click as Rudy pulled off Dorian’s chest plate. “You were lucky my friend, any more to the right and you’d be out of commission again.” Dorian watched as Rudy tinkered in his chest, repairing and mending the wiring that had been damaged when he fell on the iron rebar.

“I’m always careful, Rudy. Things just… happen.” Dorian smiled as the scientist gave a little huff in disagreement.

“Things seem to happen a lot to you, now don’t they.”

“Comes with the job.”

Rudy stood, shaking his head. He pushed his glasses up farther onto his nose. “It’s going to take me a while to repair your chest plate, but apart from that, you’re good as new.” Rudy handed Dorian his shirt and the bot slipped it over his head as Rudy carried the metal plate over to his work station. “Just be careful, won't you? This is the second time I’ve had to repair this thing you know.”

“And it probably won’t be the last.” A new voiced joined theirs, and Dorian looked up, catching sight of John, weaving his way through the tables of dismantled bots and beakers.

Dorian tilted his head as he squirmed into his shirt. “John, I thought you were at the hospital.”

“I checked myself out early.” John glanced at Rudy. “Would you mind giving us a minute?”

“Not at all,” Rudy set his instruments down and made his way to the opposite side of his lab, well out of earshot of John and Dorian. John watched as Rudy left before turning back to Dorian.

“John, you should be…” John held up his hand, stopping Dorian. He dropped his hands to his side. The bloodied and red flesh of his knuckles stretched and flexed as he clenched his fists.

Dorian fell silent as he watched John, waiting for him speak. A silence fell between them as John kept silent, his eyes trained on the floor. Dorian could see the turmoil in his face, but he kept himself from voicing his concern.

"I never...," John stopped, clearing his throat. He shifted awkwardly in place. "I never say thank you. For all the times you save my ass." John finally looked up, meeting Dorian's steely blue eyes. "And I was... worried," John cringed at the word as it came out of his mouth. "I was worried I wouldn't get to today."

Dorian blinked, and he slipped off the table he'd been perched on, making his way to John. He left a small distance between them for good measure. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean, John."

John huffed, rubbing the back of his neck and once again not meeting Dorian's eyes. "I mean that if something had happened tonight, I never would have gotten the chance to say thank you."

Dorian's face flickered blue as he processed the information. "John, I'm reading a slight increase in your heart rate. I must say that I find it highly disconcerting that you would leave the hospital before you were properly checked out."

John gave a sigh, shaking his head. "You know, for an advanced piece of technology, you really are dense."

"I beg your pardon?"

John started to speak, but thought better of it and closed his mouth. He watched Dorian's face, eyes tracing over his features. When he spoke, his voice was soft, gentle, like he was afraid anything else would seem to forceful.

"I just mean that..." John paused, looking for the right word. "I just care about you, man. And I know it's your job, but if anything were to happen to you..." He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

In the short time that John had been partnered with Dorian, he'd grown accustomed to his presence. The way the way he poked jabs at his perpetual bad mood, how the bot was constantly bettering John, as much as he'd hate to actually admit it.

Dorian made John better. The words of his captain echoed in his mind.

"He's good for you."

Another silence fell between them, but this one was much less awkward. Dorian understood. He watched as John shifted his weight from his synthetic leg to his real one absently, the way he bit at his cheek, and the way his hands flexed in impatience. His face danced blue as John looked at him, reading a slight rise in his blood pressure.

“I care about you too, John,” Dorian stated, his face splitting into a smile.

John let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding, his body relaxing almost instantly at the sound of Dorian’s words. He let his eyes fall on his partner, dipping his head with a small nod to hide his smile.

"John," John looked up. Dorian was standing closer now, his hands lined up with John's, the tips of their boots so close. The world seemed to slow down around John. He could hear the blood pumping through his veins, pounding in his ears.

John moved first. He leaned toward Dorian in silence, lifting his hands to his face and placing them gently on either side. He pressed his lips to Dorian's, shivering at the sensation. The synthetic skin of Dorian's mouth was cool, and smooth; perfectly shaped.

Dorian reacted to John's movement, shifting his body closer. He rested a hand over one of John's, laying his other to his waist. He parted his lips, and John followed suit, nipping Dorian's lips, their tongues tangling over one another, tasting him.

John broke away only when he needed to breathe. He rested his forehead to Dorian's, hesitant to move from his partner.

"So that's what that feels like." John chanced a glance at Dorian. His face was flickering blue, his eyes unfocused with a small smile.

John chuckled, stroking his thumb over the blue lights dancing across Dorian's face. "Does that mean you liked it?"

"Yeah, man." Dorian flicked his eyes to John, smiling. John gave another laugh, eyes crinkling as he smiled "I believe that is something I would like to experience multiple times."


End file.
